"The Day Earth Stood Still" Lobby Cards
Watch
GUEST:
These are what they call lobby cards. Back in the '50s and '60s, when the movies came to town, they would display these on the movie marquees. They all came in sets of eight. I saw this movie back in 1951, and then back in the early '70s, I think it was, I was looking in a magazine and some dealer had these for sale, so I bought them, and I paid maybe around $40. I've kept them all these years because I like the movie.
APPRAISER:
I like the movie, too. I was so excited when I saw them because it's kind of a family favorite in our house. You mentioned that they are lobby cards. They made lobby cards even before the '50s; they were making them for many years. And you're right, they come in sets of eight. And the one that we have in the center up there in the top is the title card, and then all the other cards here show different scenes, so they call those scene cards. They are numbered one through eight. That's an important thing, because I can tell you that I don't think I've ever seen a complete set of eight together in one place. The condition looks very clean. You've kept them very well since you purchased them.
GUEST:
They've been kept in a drawer.
APPRAISER:
The film itself is one of these iconic science fiction classic films, 1951, the Cold War era, everybody's a little on edge because it's the atomic era. This film really had such an amazing message at that time, which is that there are beings somewhere else in the universe that have more power, and if we don't change our warring ways, they demonstrate that power by showing us that even though they're peaceful, they have the power to destroy us.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
One of the things that's become popular now is they started grading lobby cards much in the same way they do baseball cards, comic books. So without having an official grade on these, it's difficult to place exactly a fine point on the value, but due to the fact that they all look very good and I would expect them to grade high, and the fact that you have the title card, which is the most expensive one, and the fact that they're all together as a group, I think they're worth more than if you were to add up the values of each of them individually. So as a group, at auction, I would expect them to sell between $10,000 and $12,000 for the set.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And I love them.
GUEST:
Oh, yes.
APPRAISER:
You said you saw the film in 1951 when it came out?
GUEST:
Oh, yes. That would make me about 13, I guess-- 12, 13.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, and how much were tickets for a film back then?
GUEST:
Oh, for kids, they were nine cents! (laughing)
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
